J. P. Jones

Country of origin:

U.S.

Type of music generally:

contemporary folk, folk/rock

Status:

Most recent release, Anywhere I Wander (2015)

See also:

J.P. Jones' official website

Comparisons:

Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed, Mark Knopfler, Bob Dylan

Covers/own material:

Own, occasional cowriting

General comments:

Hard to pin down. The musical styles on the various tracks of his latest album are diverse, and made me think of names as diverse as Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed, and Mark Knopfler. Jones' own publicity likens him to Bob Dylan; there may be some truth in that. (mapravat@prairienet.org)

I am immediately strongly reminded of Bruce Springsteen. There's a similar tone to his voice and some similarity in the way he constructs a song. The vocals also have a certain Bob Dylan-esque flavour to them. His style seems more a mix between a more mainstream contemporary folk Springsteen and Leonard Cohen—certainly his use of the female chorus Salvation Street reminds me very much of the way Leonard Cohen uses his. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)

Recommended first album:

Any

Recordings:

• Voluntown (1991)
• Bard (1997)
• Broken Open (1994, reissued 1999)
• Angels on the Road (1998)
• Ashes (1999)
• Back To Jerusalem (2000)
• Salvation Street (live, 2001)
• Life and Death (2003)
• Jeremiah (2004)
• Thugs and Lovers (2005)
• Magical Thinking (2006)
• Revelation (compilation, 2010)
• Anywhere I Wander (2015)

Broken Open

Release info:

1994—vision company records, softwind productions, 2695 Broadway Station, Newport, RI 02840, U.S.A.—0193022

Availability:

See J.P. Jones' site

Ecto priority:

Recommended for lovers of folk/rock

Group members:

J.P. Jones—acoustic guitar, harp, vocals, keyboards

Guest artists:

Kurt Meyer—fretless bas
Dave Lang—drums
A.J. Valleee-drums, tambourine
Floyd Salisbury—trumpet, nylon string guitar
Rick McKinney—fiddle mandolin
Paul Hubert—rain stick, bells, tam-tam
Adele Tarkowski—backing vocals
Dale Hopper—backing vocals
Rob "Wash-Wash" Rudin—scrub-a-dub

Produced by:

J.P. Jones

Angels on the Road

Release info:

1998—1994—vision company records, softwind productions, 2695 Broadway Station, Newport, RI 02840, U.S.A.—0998023

Availability:

See J.P. Jones' site

Ecto priority:

Recommended for lovers of folk/rock

Group members:

J.P. Jones—acoustic guitar, harp, vocals, keyboards

Guest artists:

Mike Fischman—mandolin, classical & electric guitars
Kurt Meyer—fretless and bowed bass
Vinnie Pasternak—violine, viola, electric guitar, eggs, vocals
Steve Tavares—drums, percussion
Floyd Salisbury—electric lead guitar, tambourine

Produced by:

J.P. Jones

Ashes

Release info:

1999—vision company records, softwind productions, 2695 Broadway Station, Newport, RI 02840, U.S.A.—1099024

Availability:

See J.P. Jones' site

Ecto priority:

Recommended for lovers of folk/rock

Group members:

J.P. Jones—all sounds except:

Guest artists:

Everett Brown—accordion, mandola
Mike Fishman—banjo
Ed Paerle—bass
Kurt Meyer—stand up bass, fretless bass
Vinnie Pasternak—violin, viola, electric rhythm guitar
Steve Tavares—gong, claves, tambourine, congas, dumbek, djembe, triangle, windchimes
Drew Wanacht—drums

Produced by:

J.P. Jones

Back To Jerusalem

Release info:

2000—vision company records, softwind productions, 2695 Broadway Station, Newport, RI 02840, U.S.A.—0600025

Availability:

See J.P. Jones' site

Ecto priority:

Low

Group members:

J.P. Jones—all sounds except:

Guest artists:

Barb Schloff Arrieta—vocals on 4 tracks
Mike Barrett—electric guitar on 3 tracks
Ed LaPerle—bass on 1 track
Kurt Meyer—fretless bass on 2 tracks
Vinnie Pasternak—violin on 2 tracks, vocal arrangement on 1 track, tambourine on 1 track
Tom Ratelle—tenor sax on 2 tracks
Lloyd Salisbury—electric guitar on 3 tracks, nylon string guitar on 1 track, trumpet on 3 tracks
Maria Sangiolo—vocals on 1 track
Swami Shivananda Sarasvati—vocals on 1 track, tablas on 1 track
Adele Tarkowski—vocals on 1 track
Steve Taveres—snare drum, congas, bongos tambourine, gong, claves, gourd, wind chimes
LeRoy White—hand drum on 1 track

Produced by:

J.P. Jones

Comments:

Truth be told, I got bored having to sit through this disk in order to review it. A few tracks are somewhat interesting musically, but none are really compelling. The lyrics are Jones' philosophical expoundings on numerous things; some have quasi-religious imagery, but this is definitely not gospel rock. (His own publicity calls the album "a secular disc with a spiritual goal," and noted that he has studied theology.) This is a very well-intentioned effort, but frankly, it fails to send me anywhere. (mapravat@prairienet.org)

Salvation Street

Release info:

2001—Vision Company Records, PO Box 57046, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413-206, USA—VCR1001

Availability:

See J.P. Jones' site

Ecto priority:

Recommended for folkrock fans

Group members:

JP Jones—vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, keyboards

Guest artists:

Mike Barrette—electric guitar, vocals
Mike Fishman—nylon string guitar, bass
Dave Lang—drums, vocals
Kurt Meyer—bass vocals
Matt Niebels—drums, percussion, vocals
Vinnie Pasternak—viola, vocals
Lloyd Salisbury—piano
Les Sampou—vocals
Barb Schloff-Arietta—vocals

Produced by:

Andy Jones—executive producer

Comments:

Lively deep-voiced folk/rock, nicely but not overly produced. There is a good variety of sound here between the songs, and the songwriting is generally strong and interesting, though Jones does have a tendency to go for the too-obvious rhyme which can undermine the effect he's going for. He can be gritty and he can be soulful and he can be fun. Folkrock fans will find a lot to enjoy here. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)

Life and Death

Release info:

2003—Vision Company Records—031703

Availability:

See J.P. Jones' site

Ecto priority:

Recommended for folkrock fans

Group members:

JP Jones—vocals, acoustic guitar, harp, keys

Guest artists:

Mike Barrette—electric guitar
Dave Lang—drums
Kurt Meyer—bass
Louise Muller—violin
Matt Niebels—drums, percussion
Donn Watson—keyboards

Produced by:

JP Jones

Comments:

A collection of songs with messages, ranging from ballads to rockers. Somewhat preachy, but that's in the tradition of folk songs. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)

Jeremiah

Release info:

2004—Vision Company Records—021904

Availability:

See J.P. Jones' site

Ecto priority:

Recommended for folkrock fans.

Group members:

JP Jones—vocals, acoustic guitar, rack harp

Produced by:

Executive Producer: Andy Jones

Comments:

A totally solo and entirely acoustic release, naturally highlighting Jones's songwriting and performance. An earnest more folky-flavoured collection of songs. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)

Magical Thinking

Release info:

2006—Vision Company Records—CAT#12

Availability:

See J.P. Jones' site

Ecto priority:

Recommended for folkrock fans

Group members:

JP Jones—vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, rack harp

Guest artists:

Vinny Pagano—drums, toms, handpercussion
Marty "The Cat" Ballous—electric and acoustic bass
Barb Schloff-Arietta—backing vocals (6, 7)
Gianna Sullivan, Lisette Saint German—vocals (7, 10)
Kevin Sullivan—backing vocals (7, 10); bass (1)
Andy Jones—backing vocals (7)' paintbrushes (11)
Paul Geremia—harmonic (3, 7, 9)
Michael Barrette—electric guitar (2, 8, 10); Mississippi National slides guitar (7)
Johnny Juxo—accordion (2),BR> Jay White—congas (6)
John Hillman—electric guitar (7)

Produced by:

Andy Jones

Comments:

Jones is back with a band here, and rocking again. This is one of his best collections of songs, reminiscent of Waite, etc., and feels more personal than some other recordings. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)

Thanks to Sophia Gurley and Mitch Pravatiner for their work on this entry.